The defining moment of Connor McDavid‘s standout season happened off the ice, according to his coach.
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Todd McLellan says the introduction of McDavid as team captain on Oct. 5 sent a message to the young centre about the confidence the Oilers had in him, but also their expectations of him.
READ MORE: Connor McDavid has hard acts to follow as youngest NHL captain
The 20-year-old responded by posting 100 points to win this year’s Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s scoring leader and earn a nomination for the Hart Trophy that goes to the player judged to be the most valuable to their team.
On Tuesday, McDavid was also announced as one of the finalists for the Ted Lindsay Award for most outstanding NHL player as selected by members of the National Hockey League Players’ Association.
#Oilers captain Connor McDavid is a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award – most outstanding @NHL player selected by @NHLPA members. pic.twitter杭州桑拿/yFtD8j3mVX
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) May 2, 2017
“It happened the day that he was told he was going to lead this group,” McLellan said Tuesday. “(We) sewed a ‘C’ onto his jersey.
“I think that elevated his, not sense of value, but just his priority list in the locker room for lack of a better explanation.
“He realized he was going to have to be on the forefront and produce on a nightly basis, not only offensively, but defensively, practice habits, carrying the spirit of the team, answering for the group and he’s done a real good job.”
READ MORE: Connor McDavid: the anatomy of a generational player
If McDavid wins the Hart on June 21, he would be just the third player under the age of 21 to do so after Sidney Crosby (2007) and former Oiler Wayne Gretzky (1980).
“It’s special and it’s something I’m very proud of, but it’s a credit to be able to play with this group of guys and play with the players we have in this room,” McDavid said. “Definitely makes playing hockey a lot of fun.”
Crosby, a two-time winner, joins Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and McDavid as this year’s nominees.
“He’s a guy I grew up watching obviously and to be up for this award with him, pretty cool,” McDavid said of Crosby.
McDavid compiled 30 goals and 70 assists playing all 82 games this season, and led the Oilers to their first playoff appearance since 2006.
Crosby, now 29, totalled 44 goals and 45 assists in 75 games.
Bobrovsky, 26, posted a 41-17-5 record., a goals-against average of 2.06 and a save percentage of .931 for the Blue Jackets.
READ MORE: Edmonton Oilers make playoffs for 1st time since 2006: What’s changed in the last 11 years?
McDavid and the Oilers lead their best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal against the Anaheim Ducks two games to one into Wednesday’s Game 4 at Rogers Place.
Pittsburgh was also up 2-1 in their Eastern Conference semifinal against the Washington Capitals.
A Stanley Cup featuring Crosby and McDavid is a tantalizing prospect, but Crosby’s long-term status was unclear after suffering a concussion Monday.
The hit on Crosby by Washington defenceman Matt Niskanen was the talk of the hockey world Tuesday, but McDavid declined to join the chatter.
“I saw the play. It happened so fast, I don’t have too much of an opinion on it,” he said. “You never want to see someone get hurt obviously, especially at this time of the year.”
Watch below: Sidney Crosby lays motionless on the ice following hit to the head
McDavid, a six-foot-one, 200-pound centre from Newmarket, Ont., was nominated for the Calder Trophy last year despite a rookie season cut short by 37 games due to a broken clavicle.
Despite his poise and performance, his sophomore season wasn’t always smooth sailing.
“It was my first full regular season and there’s a lot of ups and downs,” McDavid said. “There’s a lot of times when you’re not playing your best hockey and you’ve got to get back to it.
“Earlier in the year, I think I had a 10-game goal drought or something like that. Everyone was harping on me then.”
He’s had Gretzky close by this season to help him deal with the stresses that come with hockey success and responsibility at a young age. Gretzky was named vice-chair of the Oilers Entertainment Group shortly after McDavid was introduced as team captain.
“Now especially, more than ever, I’ve had to rely on him and talk to him about certain things,” McDavid said. “Just going through this whole thing for the first time.”
French prosecutors asked a court on Tuesday to impose a heavy fine on celebrity magazine Closer if it is found guilty of invading the privacy of Britain’s Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, by publishing topless photos of her in 2012.
Laurence Pieau, the editor of Closer; Ernesto Mauri, chief executive of Italian publisher Mondadori, the magazine’s owner; and two photographers from a Paris agency who are suspected of taking the pictures appeared at a court hearing in the Paris suburb of Nanterre to answer charges brought under French privacy laws.
Closer magazine, a weekly round-up of celebrity gossip, published in September 2012 a series of photos of Middleton, the wife of Prince William, second-in-line to the British throne, topless while on holiday in southern France.
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Britain’s royal family began legal action against the magazine for what it called a “grotesque” breach of privacy after publication of the pictures, taken as the royal couple relaxed on a balcony of a chateau in the Luberon region.
The pictures rekindled memories in Britain of the media pursuit of William’s mother, Princess Diana, who was killed in a car crash in Paris in 1997 while being chased by paparazzi.
The two photographers, present in court on Tuesday, denied having taken the photos, saying they had been unable to find out where the royal couple were staying.
“We went round and round looking for bodyguards, British cars … We didn’t see anybody,” one of the photographers, Cyril Moreau, told the court.
Court documents said that mobile phone records showed that the two photographers were in the vicinity of the house at the time.
READ MORE: Runner douses Prince William with water during London Marathon as Kate watches
A lawyer for the magazine sought to justify publication of the photos on public interest grounds, saying they disproved rumors circulating at the time that Middleton might be anorexic.
Jean Veil, lawyer for the Duchess of Cambridge, said the article which accompanied the photos was only a pretext for publishing the pictures.
Hamilton police are investigating the fatal shooting of notorious mobster Angelo Musitano.
Homicide unit Det. Sgt. Peter Thom said Tuesday night that officers were called to a Chesapeake Drive house, near Rockhaven Lane, in Waterdown at around 4 p.m.
Thom said after police and paramedics arrived, Musitano was found inside a pick-up truck with multiple gunshot wounds. He later died at hospital. Musitano is the city’s fourth homicide victim of 2017.
[email protected] Staff Sgt Peter Thom confirms shooting victim as 39 year old Angelo Musitano of #Waterdown. 4th homicide of 2017. #HamOnt pic.twitter杭州桑拿/tGzDt1FGnJ
— DR (@Media371) May 3, 2017
Thom said it’s believed the shooting was targeted. He said witnesses reported seeing a man with a heavy build wearing a dark toque, black jacket and beige pants leaving the scene in a dark-coloured, four-door sedan.
Angelo Musitano is the younger brother of Pat Musitano. In 1997, the Musitano brothers were charged with first-degree murder in ordering the death of Hamilton mob boss Johnny “Pops” Papalia. Three years later, they were sentenced to 10 years in prison for conspiracy to commit murder in the shooting death of Niagara crime boss Carmen Barillaro.
Reported drive by shooting on Chesapeake Dr in #Waterdown. Male victim transported w/ no vital signs. Homicide detectives notified. #HamOnt pic.twitter杭州桑拿/PxXuXWx10V
— DR (@Media371) May 2, 2017
The hitman for both murders, Kenneth Murdock, took a plea deal and named the Musitanos as the men who ordered the killings.
The Musitano brothers were released from prison in 2007.
Pat Musitano’s SUV was set on fire in the driveway of his St. Clair Boulevard home in the fall of 2015.
Meanwhile, investigators are looking for surveillance video from the area. Anyone with information is being asked to call police or Crime Stoppers anonymously.
VANCOUVER – A look at some key developments from Day 22 of the B.C. election campaign for each of the parties:
NDP:
— NDP leader John Horgan promised investments into health care while campaigning in Kamloops on Tuesday, calling a shortfall of family doctors in the area a crisis.
— He says the NDP would invest in a new patient care tower at Royal Inland Hospital and build urgent care facilities across the province.
— Liberal Health Minister Terry Lake, who isn’t seeking re-election, showed up at the campaign stop to dispute the New Democrats claims that 30,000 people in the area are without a family doctor, saying no party can improve access to primary care overnight.
LIBERALS:
— Liberal Leader Christy Clark appears to be making the dispute with the United States over softwood a key election issue while campaigning in Merritt.
— Clark promised a hefty $70 per tonne carbon tax on U.S. thermal coal that’s shipped through the province’s ports, making it uncompetitive in the global market.
— She says it’s the right time “to send a strong message” to the U.S. administration and “lumber barons” that the province will not back down after the Americans imposed a 20 per cent levy on Canadian softwood, threatening the sector in B.C.
GREENS:
— Green Leader Andrew Weaver attacked the NDP during a campaign stop in Vancouver, saying the party has made “disturbing” multibillion-dollar promises without saying how they would be paid for.
— Weaver says the New Democrats’ plan to end MSP premiums is not “fully costed” compared to the Green’s strategy.
— He also says his party has introduced two bills in the legislature to try to get the ride sharing industry going, while the New Democrats’ plans for the industry lacks information.
A spoonful of peanut butter and a visit from her feathered friends is all it takes to put a smile on Elma Koenig’s face.
The long-term care resident at St. Michael’s Health Centre is one of many who gets frequent visits from Brian Shields and his two parrots Baby and Taz.
The centre welcomes volunteers and their pets to visit residents as a way of providing socialization.
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“A lot of them don’t get out or go home, or have families who visit,” recreational therapist Cheryl Bodell said. “It’s a chance also for that one-to-one visiting, or in a group, just interacting with the animals and the different owners.”
Shields started making trips to St. Michael’s three years ago with a Cockatoo named Abby.
“Abby was the star of the show because she was so social and could go to anybody,” he said.
But when Abby escaped from her home and passed away about a year ago, he wasn’t sure if the visits would continue.
READ MORE: More than just hugs: Therapy animals require training, the right temperament
His other bird, Baby, was left on her own and wasn’t used to being in the spotlight.
“Over the summer, we did a lot of treat training and other things to try and get Baby a little more adjusted to being the star of the show,” Shields said.
Now Baby, along with her new flock mate Taz, are frequent visitors and make their rounds on a regular basis.
READ MORE: Animal therapy offers hope for veterans struggling with PTSD
Bodell says for Sandy Johansen, another long-term care resident, the parrots make great companions.
“She doesn’t do a lot outside of her room so to have animals come in and a chance to socialize and interact is really a special treat for her,” Bodell said.
It’s also a treat for the parrots, Shields said.
“Unfortunately a lot of people think that a bird is a cage animal and the parrots, especially the bigger and smarter ones, they need entertainment and they need to go out,” he said.
“A busy parrot is a happy parrot.”
Although Taz and Baby are the only parrots that visit, St. Michael’s has had dogs in the past.
They’re encouraging anyone with people-friendly pets to contact them and get involved.
The Bunchberry Meadows Conservation Area, a 250 hectare old-growth forest just 30 kilometres from downtown Edmonton, is expected to be open for nature lovers to enjoy this fall, according to the Edmonton and Area Land Trust (EALT).
The EALT, along with the Nature Conservancy of Canada, held a media event at the parcel of land west of Alberta’s capital on Tuesday to talk about its future now that it has acquired the land. The property, acquired from private landowners, features diverse vegetation and wildlife.
‘It features aspen parkland woods as well as pockets of white spruce, tamarack, jack pine and wetlands, giving way to diverse plant communities throughout the whole area,” the EALT’s website says. “This natural area is an important refuge for wildlife and is home to many species including moose, deer, squirrels, owls, hawks and songbirds.”
In May 2015, the Nature Conservancy of Canada announced it was hoping to raise $4 million to purchase the forest and wildlife habitat. The land belonged to five families who preserved it in its natural state and agreed to sell it to the conservancy at a fraction of its market value.
READ MORE: Group raising $4M to buy large natural area outside Edmonton
Watch below: On May 21, 2015, Fletcher Kent filed this report after five families agreed to sell their land at a discount to Nature Conservancy Canada so it can be preserved.
“We’ve owned this for 45-plus years now and as kids, this was a long way from the city… it was a trip out to the country and it was always a special day when we got to come out here,” Kim Laskin, one of the former landowners, said on Tuesday.
The owners kept the land intact despite significant development all around it over the years.
“It’s like an oasis in the middle of a whole bunch of farmland.”
Laskin said his family also owned a nearby farm and would often take their horses to gallop through the Bunchberry Meadows area. He said he and the other landowners approached the conservancy about selling the land because with growing families, the land wasn’t being used as much as before.
“(It’s) very important that this was protected forever,” he said. “(This was) the ultimate way to preserve our parents’ legacies and keep this property exactly how it should be.”
“This is a tremendously special property,” said Pam Wight, executive director of the EALT. “It’s very large for the Edmonton area – a whole section of land. It’s completely natural.
“There are large populations of people who have to drive considerable distances to get to areas that are natural and this has tremendous promise.”
To help buy the land, the EALT was buoyed by a $1.667-million gift from an anonymous donor.
Wight said the green space won’t open to the public until the fall because her organization needs time to ensure the area and its trails are safe for nature lovers to use and to take steps to make sure the land isn’t damaged when visitors begin using it.
WINNIPEG —; A Winnipeg doctor says the man shot by police inside his downtown office was asked several times to drop the weapon he was holding.
The 25-year-old man, shot on Monday over the lunch hour in the Winnipeg skywalk, has since been upgraded to stable condition.
“He was what we call undone, uncontrollable,” Dr. Robert Lecker said. He said the man burst into his optometry office with what looked like a homemade spear.
READ MORE: Man shot by police officer in downtown Winnipeg skywalk
“It was a thin metal pole probably about three feet and at the end of it there was a pair of scissors, half a pair of scissors, taped to the end of the rod,” Lecker said.
The man appeared to be in some kind of confrontation between police and downtown patrol members in the skywalk just outside the front door to the clinic, according to Lecker’s receptionist, Nicelyn Romero.
He then came through the door into the office where Romero was at the front desk and Lecker was in the back with two patients.
WATCH: Man shot by police officer in downtown Winnipeg skywalk
“He’s staring at me, I’m staring at him and I don’t know what to do next,” she said.
Police were right behind the man, asking him to put down the spear, Romero said.
“He’s telling him to drop the weapon, otherwise he’s going to shoot him and he didn’t listen,” she said.
One of the two shots fired hit the man, Lecker said.
“Everybody acted in an appropriate fashion and it was done in the best possible fashion to protect everyone who’s in here,” he said. “People shouldn’t be afraid to come into this area so whatever has to happen to prevent this from happening again is essential.”
WASHINGTON – Just before lunchtime in Washington, a Canadian MP spoke to his audience’s stomach about the tasty attributes of the North American Free Trade Agreement and how cancelling it would cause economic indigestion.
Andrew Leslie told the story of a hamburger.
The parliamentary secretary for Canada-U.S. relations used the journey of a burger to illustrate the interconnectedness of modern supply chains and argued that tearing up NAFTA would rip the bread from the patty and the condiments and leave an economic mess.
READ MORE: Donald Trump will keep focus on trade as he celebrates 100th day in office
He was speaking at Johns Hopkins University a few days after President Donald Trump floated the idea of serving notice the U.S. might start pulling out of the continental trade agreement in six months.
Leslie talked about the tens of thousands of Americans employed by TD Bank, the thousands who work on TransCanada pipelines and the states that have Canada as their No. 1 customer.
And then he brought up burgers.
WATCH: Trump on NAFTA: will renegotiate or terminate deal
He described a how a cow raised in Alberta gets processed in the U.S., and ends up in a bun baked in California with wheat from Saskatchewan, topped with lettuce from Arizona and a tomato from Ontario.
“You (get) that (burger) for what – five bucks?” Leslie said. “Think of the complexity of that. Think of the decades it took for the various elements to reach their peak efficiency in what they were doing best, into an integrated supply chain. . . .
“How do you untangle that? How do you do that and retain the value-added that’s built up over the last 40 or 50 years? That was a simple example.”
The Trump administration says it intends to start renegotiating NAFTA with Canada and Mexico later this year and reserves the right to withdraw if those negotiations fail to achieve a new deal.
But it’s articulated conflicting objectives – just in the last few days.
On the one hand, Trump’s team has spoken of the need for major upgrades in complex areas, like dairy, lumber and pharmaceuticals. On the other hand, it’s expressed a desire to do it quickly, within months – and get a deal wrapped up before the Mexican election next year.
READ MORE: Donald Trump planned on giving Canada only 5 days’ notice of NAFTA withdrawal
Trade-watchers are overwhelmingly skeptical these two goals are compatible.
“The U.S. is hoping to fuse quick with thorough by rolling Canada and Mexico on the issues they care about,” said Eric Miller, a former Canadian official who runs a trade consultancy, Rideau Potomac Strategy Group.
“(But) I don’t see how you do a major rejig in six months.”
Asked whether the Canadian government favours a quick renegotiation, or a thorough one, Leslie said little. He said the Canadian government has a list of demands ready, but intends to keep its cards hidden for now.
He said Canada is waiting for the U.S. to make its opening move, which would come after the White House sends a formal notice to Congress that negotiations will start in 90 days.
One thing Leslie described as a non-starter: cancelling the deal.
“Tearing up the agreement is, in my opinion, not the answer,” Leslie said. “There’s a deep understanding there’s no good that would come from replacing perceived impediments to Canada-U.S. trade with real ones.”
On the Tuesday edition of the Oakley Show, MPs want spies watching spies; later we talk to our resident criminal lawyer about a rapist released even though he may re-offend and why millennials are at high risk for mental health issues. Listen to it again!
Liberal and NDP MPs recommend increased oversight over CSIS
Ann Cavoukian, Executive Director, Privacy & Big Data Institute – Ryerson University and Former Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario joins the Oakley show to tell us why more oversight and restricted the spy agency’s powers are necessary in light of Bill C-51
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CSIS use of personal data troubles privacy watchdog
‘High Park Rapist’ back on streets, high risk to re-offend
Rejected several times for parole, and still considered a threat, Michael Giroux is now free and living near McGill University. We talk to criminal defense lawyer Lorne Honickman and ask if there was a way to keep Giroux in prison and if police have an obligation to let the neighbourhood know.
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Seattle jogger who fought off her rapist sparks self-defence boom
It’s Mental Health Week – More Canadian millennials then ever are at high risk of mental health issues
A staggering 63 per cent of Canadian millennials are at “high risk” for mental health issues, according to a new Ipsos report released exclusively to Global News. Mark Henick, national director of strategic initiatives at the Canadian Mental Health Association discusses the struggles younger people are experiencing and how we can help them.
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Why more Canadian millennials than ever are at ‘high risk’ of mental health issues
Where to get help
If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs help, resources are available. In case of an emergency, please call 911 for immediate help.
The Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention, Depression Hurts and Kids Help Phone 1-800-668-6868 all offer ways of getting help if you, or someone you know, may be suffering from mental health issues.
